By John Richardson IT WAS a tremendous year. China’s 2020 polyethylene (PE) demand growth over 2019 averaged 10% across the three grades. This comprised a 13% increase in demand for high-density PE (HDPE), a 2% decline in demand for low-density PE (LDPE) and a 13% rise in linear-low density PE (LLDPE) demand, according to my […]
Asian Chemical Connections
Weak China polypropylene demand in January-April indicates no big new economic stimulus
By John Richardson THE ABOVE chart should give you pause for thought if you believe that the Chinese economy is already recovering as a result of major new economic stimulus. This once again points to the value of chemicals and polymers as leading indicators of economic activity. A recovery might be around the corner thanks […]
A brand new ‘how to” guide for forecasting Chinese polyethylene demand
By John Richardson TIME and again over the last ten years the strength or weakness of Chinese chemicals and polymers demand has taken everyone by surprise. One method of analysis that does hold considerable value as a methodology for forecasting growth might be predictions of future credit flows for some chemicals. The big uptick in […]
Big jump in China PE imports points to destocking as demand prospects weaken
By John Richardson CHINA’S official PE imports and exports are finally out for January-September 2018 after a very long delay. Until a week ago, official data was only available up until March. Reasons for the delayed release are not understood. What the data show is that on a year-on-year basis, net imports (imports minus exports) […]
China Debt Squeeze, Trade War, Dollar Strength Pose Major Risks
By John Richardson IT DIDN’T matter if there was any truth behind the stories people used to tell each other about the Chinese economy as it underwent an unprecedented period of growth in 2009-2014. All that mattered was that a lot of people were making a lot of money as petrochemicals and polymers sales volumes […]
China Polyethylene Strong Q1 Growth Doesn’t Reflect Risks Ahead
By John Richardson CHINA’S Q1 2018 polypropylene (PP) imports were down by 20% year-on-year as apparent demand (net imports plus local production) rose by just 1% on the steep fall in the availability of lending. Meanwhile, overall polyethylene (PE) imports were up by 12% as apparent PE demand grew by 9%. Does this mean that […]
China’s 74% Fall In High-Risk Lending Points To New Slowdown
By John Richardson THE above chart should give you a feeling of déjà vu. In early 2014, Chinese lending growth started to decline and by September of that year, broad recognition of the extent of the decline was behind a sharp retreat in global commodities prices as the global economy also slowed. History very often […]
China Scrap Plastic Crackdown: 1-2% Boost To Polyolefins Demand
By John Richardson THE DECLINE in China’s imports of scrap or waste plastic and cardboard could boost 2018 virgin polypropylene (PP) consumption in China by some 1% above our base case. Meanwhile, polyethylene (PE) demand may be 2% higher For details on what this would mean in terms of tonnes, subscribe to our monthly Asia […]
China Debt Crisis: Out Of Fashion, But Could Still Happen
By John Richardson NO LONGER is the promotion of local government officials in China being solely measured by their success in hitting GDP growth targets. What is instead taking priority is how successful local authorities are in cleaning-up the environment. That’s the carrot. The stick of China’s “carrot and stick” approach to dealing with pollution […]
CEOs Need To Get Rid Of The “Fear Factor”
It now makes sense to reduce my number of blog posts to three a week – on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays – as the “argument” stage of the New Normal is much closer to being over. Far more people than was the case just 12 months ago recognise that our view of the world stacks […]
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